Parents of children in DHS custody plan protest

PORTLAND – A group of Maine mothers whose children have been taken into state custody say they will hold a rally next week to protest what they call flaws in the state’s child protective services.

Two groups say they are planning to rally Monday outside the Department of Human Services building in Portland.

Portland Organizing to Win Economic Rights and the Maine Alliance for DHS Accountability and Reform say false allegations and financial incentives to get children adopted drive DHS to break up families.

Kerri Shannon of Addison, whose son and daughter were removed by the state in 2003, said she plans to attend the rally.

“I hope [state officials] will see the light and reopen some of these cases and change how DHS does things,” Shannon said.

DHS denies the parents’ allegations. The agency says fewer children are taken from their parents now than were several years ago, and there has been a 5 percent annual reduction in the number of children in state care.

DHS defenders say a lack of resources means caseworkers are overworked and sometimes make mistakes.

But such arguments have done little to sway parents, who organized a group called “Mothers of the Disappeared” after 5-year-old Logan Marr died at the hands of her foster mother in January 2001.

The parents want DHS reforms, including reviews of cases where parents say they never abused their children, and help for families that can’t afford expert testimony when fighting for parental rights in the courts.

“The welfare of the child does not seem to be the goal any more,” said Mary Callahan, a Lisbon foster parent who leads the Maine Alliance for DHS Accountability.

“The children are taken from homes where they have not been hurt,” she said. “But someone saw potential for harm somewhere down the line and put them into a system where they’re guaranteed to be hurt.”

A spokesman for Gov. John Baldacci said the governor’s plan to merge DHS with the Department of Behavioral Services will make the agency more “family friendly and accountable.”

“The governor wants to acknowledge the good work DHS does but also look at ways we need to improve in how we deal with people,” Lee Umphrey said.

Lucky Hollander is vice president of advocacy and prevention services at Youth Alternatives, an agency that provides case management services to DHS. She said protesters have many valid points but are squandering their energy by targeting DHS instead of aiming for a systemic commitment to strengthening families.

“You have to see a bigger picture than the big bad guys at DHS,” she said.

The rally will be followed by an “Unfair Fair,” at the Chestnut Street Church, which will include a screening of the “Frontline” documentary about the Logan Marr case, followed by a candlelight prayer vigil.